Yours, With Love

Smitten at the first sight

"Uncle ji, please wait."

A panting Radhika ran across the street, well, as responsible as she was, she took notice of its emptiness and lack of vehicles before making that sprint. It was the first rickshaw which she had encountered within the twenty minutes of hers leaving for home. It felt really weird for her to be standing on the company gates for too long. Apparently, people failed to mind their business and stared at her as though she must not be human.

Anyways, she really hoped for the rickshaw driver to actually wait, and drop her home.

"Haan beta ji.", the driver halted, and had a polite smile plastered on his exhausted elderly face.

(Haan beta ji - yes, child)

She immediately felt at ease seeing that polite smile.

"Uncle ji, will you please drop me in Vijay Nagar?", she asked with an unsure tone.

"Sure beta, please have a seat."

She smiled gratefully at the driver and sat in the rickshaw.

"Finally.", she muttered to herself after having a sip of water, the cool air blowing on the outside playing with that singular lock of hair which had escaped from her ponytail.

This was her routine.

Radhika Sisodia - she was everything wonderful, and if you see, an ideal child any parent would want. Intelligent, mature, responsible, calm, determined, ambitious, polite - you name it, and she had that quality. Having completed her masters in Chemistry from a reputed college in Indore, she applied for a job in a big pharma company, and thanks to hers being the gold medalist with her impeccable practical and communication skills, she immediately secured that job.

She knew her worth, and would be determined to prove it, always.

But deep inside, she desperately wanted to prove her worth in front of those who mattered the most - her parents. Yes, they were wonderful, and loved her, cared for her, raised her in the best possible manner as she perceived it, but there was a catch. And that being, she was a girl. And much to her misfortune, despite her scholastic and professional achievements, they had some stereotypical expectations from her, which were never imposed on her elder brother.

Anupam and Vijaya Sisodia were good parents, but were entangled in the traps of 'what would people say?' You get the hang of it right?

They had particular expectations from their daughter, typically imposed by the society, and abided by those, no matter what. With those expectations came several limitations. However, that was not the case with Radhika's elder brother Kartik.

While she had a curfew time to be at home, he did not have any. While she had to provide a proper explanation and proof at times about the places she visited, he did not even have to state any location. While he was allowed to have any friends of his choice, her male friends - that too if she ever had them, were heavily frowned upon. While he had the liberty to study anything of his choice, and for the duration of his choice, and pursue any career opportunity of his choice, no matter how farther from home that might be, she did not have any of these liberties.

In fact, her masters too were allowed, and her present job, after a lot of arguments and pleadings, and again - heavy frowns.

Conditions - she must simply go and do her job, and return home immediately.

If he did not have to indulge in any household work - be it even picking up his own plate, she had the obligation to be well-versed in every household word, no matter what.

And the most prickling of them all - getting her married once she turns 24.

But she was thankful - thankful for her parents' love and care and affection despite of that coming with some conditions. Thankful for the education she was allowed to receive and even the job she was allowed to do.